Harry stumbled from Professor Dumbledore’s office, neither seeing nor hearing anything. He was in total shock, having just received the information that the headmaster had kept from him for so long. He knew that in the far reaches of the castle, many students would now be waking, completely oblivious to the fact that Harry’s godfather Sirius Black was dead. Neither did they know, yet, that Lord Voldemort’s return had finally been proven. But they would know soon enough.

He walked along, quite unsure and uncaring about where he was going. Dumbledore had instructed him to go to the hospital wing, where his friends had been taken, and where he would follow in just a short time after meeting with some members of the Order. Dumbledore had insisted that Harry needed to be checked over by Madame Pomfrey, especially after what had happened to him just a short time ago.

But Harry had no intention of going there. He did not want to see what injuries his friends had sustained because of him. It was all his fault that they had gotten hurt. And besides, he felt fine, aside from a dull ache in his scar and a ringing in his ears, a ringing which seemed to be getting louder by the minute now that he thought about it.

Harry stopped walking. For the first time since leaving the Ministry, he felt fully aware of his senses. The awful, high pitched noise in his ears seemed to be growing, and he began to notice that his hand was twitching. Surely, another symptom of his exhaustion. He turned on the spot, looking for a source of the noise, but he was quite alone.

He continued walking slowly along, sure that the sound was just a result of his exhaustion. He had, after all, just experienced a great trauma, and was mourning the loss of his godfather. He was going to return to Gryffindor Tower, to his four-poster bed, and sleep. He would go to the Hospital Wing in the morning. He just could not bear to see any of his friends faces, after leading them into such danger….and for nothing. He didn’t want to see Remus, who he knew was feeling just as much pain about Sirius as he was. He didn’t want to see the accusing looks on their faces. It had been all his fault.

Suddenly, and without warning, a pain flared up in Harry’s scar. He stiffled a yell as he slumped sideways into the wall, digging his hands into his forehead as if the pressure could make the pain stop.

Accompanying the stinging pain he felt was a strange surge of anger, though at what, he didn’t know. Something about this was different. This was not the typical pain Harry felt when Voldemort was nearby or feeling angry. No, this was something else entirely. He did not feel a detached sort of sensation as he did when he shared Voldemort’s emotions. The rage Harry felt was entirely his own, though it had nothing to do with the wave of emotion he had just released at Dumbledore’s expense.

And as quickly as it had come, the pain subsided, and with it, the rage. Harry leaned against the wall for a moment, his eyes shut tight, not moving, just drinking in the relief of the absence of the pain. When he was sure the strange phenomenon had ended, he opened his eyes and righted himself. A shiver spread up his spine and his head twitched in response. As he held his quivering hands up to his face to inspect them, he couldn’t help but notice that the high-pitched noise had not faded with the stinging in his scar. It had remained all the time.

Harry set off again, moving more quickly, desperate to get to his room and to the sleep that he knew he needed. He almost wished he could stop by Madame Pomfrey’s office to ask for a potion of Dreamless Sleep, yet he did not want to make an appearance there. He would surely find sleep quickly, and if he was lucky, he would be too exhausted to dream. He only hoped that, with rest, he did not experience this strange sensation again.

He reached the portrait hole without any other incident. He was happy to find the common room deserted as he climbed the stairs to his shared room, barely able to keep his eyes open. None of his other roommates had yet woken up. Without even undressing, he fell into his bed, drew the curtains, and drifted away into sleep.

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A/N - Sorry about how short these first chapters are. They will get longer. Please Review if you have a moment, thanks!